Weekly Newsletter | April 27, 2023
Food & Nutrition

FDA Issues Request for Information on Food Labeling in Online Grocery Shopping
The FDA issued a Request For Information (RFI) on food labeling in online grocery shopping to learn more about the content, format, and accuracy of food label information provided through online grocery shopping platforms. The FDA requests feedback from stakeholders, including industry, consumer advocacy groups, and consumers, about how food labeling information is provided through online grocery shopping platforms and if there are challenges with delivering accurate and consistent labeling information online. The RFI builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s recommendations in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Comments on this RFI are due July 24, 2023. 

Congress Introduces Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2023
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2023 (FLMA). The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a standardized front-of-package (FOP) labeling system for all food products required to bear nutrition labeling. The FLMA would also require the agency to define terms such as “natural” and “healthy,” require nutrition information to be displayed for online food and beverage products, establish food allergen labeling requirements, and require all nutrition information requirements to be consistent with the Nutrition Facts Panel and recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines of Americans, among others.

New York Introduces Bill to Require Added Sugar Warning Labels on Restaurant Menus 
The New York State legislature introduced a bill in both the Senate and the Assembly that would require chain restaurants to provide warning icons on menus for food items with high added sugar content. The bill defines “high added sugar content” as containing 100% percent or more of the daily value for added sugars. This legislation is the first in the U.S. to propose requiring chain restaurants to label menu items that contain or exceed the daily value for added sugars.

CSPI and NYC File Petition Requesting FDA Set Added Sugar Reduction Targets 
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene filed a petition requesting that the FDA develop voluntary and measurable added sugar reduction targets for processed, packaged, and prepared foods and beverages. In the petition, the groups ask the FDA to issue guidance that provides voluntary short-term (2.5-year), mid-term (5-year), and long-term (10-year) targets for added sugar content from categories that contribute most to overall added sugars intake. The groups also request FDA create and maintain a public online database of all the products included in the targeted food categories, provide interim progress reports to the public, and extend the scope of the guidance to require chain restaurants to declare added sugars nutrition information.

Study Suggests Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Increase Risk of All-cause Mortality
A study published in the BMJ examined the association between the intake of several types of beverages, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes. The study found that replacing one serving/day of SSBs with coffee, tea, plain water, or low-fat milk was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. Similarly, replacing one serving/day of SSBs with artificially-sweetened beverages (ASBs) was associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality, and replacing one serving/day of ASBs with coffee, tea, or plain water was associated with lower all-cause mortality.
Food Safety

FAO Publishes Report on Food Safety Considerations for Gene Editing 
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published a report on food safety considerations for regulating foods derived from gene editing. The report provides a review of food safety-related issues to consider when applying gene editing for food production and offers key considerations for developing and implementing policies and regulatory criteria for products derived from gene editing. FAO suggests that gene editing's impact on food safety, quality, and trade is expected to be similar to pre-existing breeding techniques and that Codex guidelines are relevant in ensuring safe and fair trade of gene-edited foods.
Agriculture

USDA Appoints Manjit K. Misra as NIFA Director
USDA announced the appointment of Manjit K. Misra as the new Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Misra previously served as Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and the Director of the Seed Science Center at Iowa State University and was appointed Chair of the USDA National Genetic Resources Advisory Council (NGRAC). The NIFA Director leads the agency’s work in advancing agricultural research, education, and extension. Misra’s tenure as NIFA Director will begin on May 8, 2023.

APHIS Releases FY 2023-2027 Strategic Plan 
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released its fiscal year (FY) 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan outlines the agency's goals, objectives, and performance measures over the next five years. Within the plan, APHIS identifies six strategic goals to 1) protect agriculture from plant and animal diseases and pests, 2) position the Agency's workforce to better meet current and future challenges, 3) deliver solutions that reduce the impacts of zoonotic and emerging diseases and ecosystem changes, 4) expand safe trade, 5) manage wildlife diseases, and 6) promote the welfare of animals.

GAO Recommends USDA Standardize ‘Buy American’ Exceptions for School Meals 
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report to examine how school food authorities used exceptions outlined in the school meals rule from the Buy American Provision based on availability, cost, and quality of domestic products. In its report, the GAO outlined how USDA supported states and school food authorities in implementing the provision and found that while FNS provided tools and assistance, the agency did not provide a standardized exception form. The GAO recommends that FNS develop a standardized exception form for school food authorities to document and help authorities fully understand their responsibilities to implement the provision.
Global

EU Proposes to Revise Marketing Standards of Agri-food Products 
The European Commission proposed several revisions to its marketing standards for agri-food products, including fruits, vegetables, fruit juices, jams, honey, poultry, and eggs. The EU is proposing to 1) provide clearer, mandatory origin labeling rules for honey, nuts and dried fruits, ripened bananas, and trimmed, processed, and cut fruit and vegetables, 2) exempt so-called "ugly" fruit and vegetables from complying with marketing standards, 3) exempt products intended for donation from main labeling requirements, 4) label fruit juices "with no added sugars" and "reduced-sugar fruit juice" on reformulated fruit juices, among others. 

Indonesia Publishes Microorganism Standards for General Processed Foods
The Indonesian National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) published a set of safety and quality standards governing the types of microorganisms, including probiotics and fermented foods, that are permitted to be present in processed foods and beverages. The food product standards will apply to all general processed food and beverage products, such as yogurt and kombucha, with the exception of foods for special medical and nutritional needs.

Fun Fact: In ancient Egypt, radishes, onions, and garlic were once given to workers as wages.